Cassiel (Hebrew:קַצְפִּיאֵלQaṣpīʾēl,[1] "God is my wrath")[2][3]—also known asKassiel,Qassiel, and other phonetic variations—is anangel appearing in extracanonicalJewish,Christian, andIslamicmystical andmagical works, often as one of theSeven Archangels, the angel ofSaturn,[4][5][6][7][8][9] and in other roles.
He is also known asCaftsiel andCaptsiel (Hebrew:קַפְצִיאֵלQap̄ṣīʾēl,[10] "God is my leap";[11]Arabic:كسفيائيل,Kasfīyāʾīl),[4][5][6][7][8][9] among other phonetic translations and variations.
Cassiel is invoked in an ancient Hebrew charm to tell if an enemy is running away.[12]Gustav Davidson writes that Cassiel is described as the ruler of the seventh heaven in3 Enoch, citing Odeberg's edition.[12]
However, Odeberg's edition only states in a footnote that Cassiel is "(one of) the guardian(s) of the door of the seventh Hall" inHekhalot Rabbati.[13] In turn, Cassiel is described inHekhalot Rabbati as a guardian of thesixth palace, armed with a lightning-dripping sword (which shouts "Ruin!") as well as a bow, tempests, light, and powerful winds—weapons which he uses against anyone not fit to see God. Cassiel is later described in the same work as one of three "guardians of the entrance of the seventh palace," alongsideDumiel andGabriel.
Cassiel is also listed inMa'aseh Merkavah as a guardian of thesecond palace.Sefer Raziel lists Cassiel as the prince ofSaturn. TheZohar describes Cassiel as one of the two chief aides (alongsideHizqiel) toGabriel.[14] Cassiel is also described as one of the angels of death inJudaism—specifically as theangel who presides over the deaths of young men.[15]
Cassiel is listed in the related worksThe Sworn Book of Honorius and in (pseudo)-Pietro d'Abano'sHeptameron[5] (the latter also being influenced bySefer Raziel).[5]
Cassiel's presence inHonorius may also be a result of Greek influence, as he is likewise listed in aByzantineexorcism manual (albeit asKasiel).[further explanation needed] In those works, he is referred to as the angel ofSaturn, the angel of the North, and as one of the angels mentioned in theSigillum Dei.[5]
FollowingHonorius and theHeptameron, Cassiel appears in theLiber de Angelis asCassael (again the angel over Saturn), and, in various editions of theKey of Solomon, as Cassiel orCassael (the angel—sometimes archangel—of Saturn or Saturday),[6][7][8] and again in theSigillum Dei.[16] Cassiel is depicted inFrancis Barrett'sThe Magus as a dragon-ridingdjinn with a beard—again as the angel of Saturn.[9][17][18]
Cassiel is sometimes described as the angel of tears and the angel of temperance.[17][14] AsQafsiel, he is sometimes regarded as the ruler of themoon instead of Saturn.[19]
Averroes andIbn Arabi likewise listed Saturn as the planetary counterpart of the archangelKafziel.[20]Ahmad al-Buni listedKasfiyail as one of eight angels, among whom each has its own hierarchy of spirits under command.[21]